


Time’s A Social Construct

by peanatbutterjelly



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Doyoung is a good boyfriend, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotions, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Friendship/Love, How Do I Tag, Implied Relationships, Inspired by N-minute, JaeDo, Light Angst, M/M, Romance, Slice of Life, blink and you might miss it, dojae, implied johnyong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:41:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22396474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peanatbutterjelly/pseuds/peanatbutterjelly
Summary: After a whole half day of activities in Sevilla, Spain, Doyoung was exhausted. His legs were aching from all the walking they did and his eyelids felt as heavy as lead, threatening to close any moment, and soon, he would be off to Dreamland. Frankly, all he intended to do was to take a warm shower, scroll through social media mindlessly and sleep. Simple enough... right?He thought so, but like clockwork, Jaehyun, his boyfriend of 3 years, comes knocking on his door at 11pm and asks him out on a late night date.And who is Doyoung to say no?
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 9
Kudos: 87





	Time’s A Social Construct

**Author's Note:**

> First thing’s first, Happy Chinese New Year to my readers! ^^ Even if you are not celebrating the occasion, I sure do hope that you have a good weekend and year ahead, full of hopes and happiness! ^^
> 
> If it was not too obvious, I simply felt like writing this because let’s be honest, Dojae/ Jaedo Nation has been in a drought for far too long and even I’m feeling the effects ㅠㅠ Hence, I simply went to look for pictures of the two of them and that was when I realised I could literally make a whole story based on their romantic late night walk (Jaehyun’s words, not exactly mine) in Spain so here we are! :D Writing’s still lowkey (or perhaps highkey) rusty but I hope you guys enjoy it all the same! ^^ 
> 
> Feel free to scream at me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bunbun_doyoung) or perhaps my [CCs](https://curiouscat.me/peanat_crumbles) too! I love talking to new people so see you guys there! ^^

It was just a typical Friday night in the city of Sevilla, Spain. The sun had long set by now, making way for the moon that was now high in the sky and surrounded with the twinkling stars and minimal clouds. As much as it was a beautiful night, plus the fact that it was only 9pm (Haechan liked to think that sleep was for the weak and could easily sleep at 5am if he wanted to), the boys of NCT 127 knew better than to continue walking around the city and they were exhausted after a whole half day of exploring the beautiful, yet rustic city. 

They had landed in the early morning in Spain, in preparation for their concert at the MTV EMAs the next evening, and had just about 12 hours of free time before they went back to being one’s typical expectation of every korean idol in the Korean Pop industry. With this knowledge, they had planned a whole half day of activities, ranging from riding on chariots through the city to serve as a tour to consuming all sorts of Spanish cuisine to their hearts’ content. As tired as they were, they could not help but be excited over what the city had to offer. Compared to the skyscrapers adorned with tons of glass windows that they were used to back home, the buildings here were very much older, evident from the wear and tear of the weather on the walls, and a lot more intricate, looking as if they had been frozen in time. This was clearly Johnny’s haven, as he had wanted to put a photo diary together for the longest time, and he could not be happier at the fact that he could finally do it, especially since the buildings were clearly “instagram-friendly”. 

They had also kept in mind that every second was precious, simply because they knew what would come when the following morning rolled around. Their schedule was packed solid for the next day and it started from as early as 8am, when they would consume a quick breakfast and head to the concert venue for rehearsals. This preceded the need to do their hair and makeup, which could take hours because of the number of members. After that, it was a short lunch break, and they would then have to get ready for the red carpet. Once that was over, it was straight to the full dress rehearsals, and then it was time for the actual performance and the event itself, before ending off with the need to send Haechan and Jaehyun to the airport once the show was over. The both of them had to go back to Seoul first, Haechan with NCT Dream duties and Jaehyun with Inkigayo, while the rest had just about 20 more hours or so before it was their time to go home. 

They had captured so much footage throughout the day, both for the fan favourite N-minute series and Johntography, and as much as the night was still young after their dinner consisting of traditional Spanish cuisine, they had all agreed to head back to the hotel and tuck in for the night. This time around, they did not have the luxury of getting their own rooms, but it did not bother them one bit. In fact, given that most of them would take some time to fall asleep, unless you were Mark, they very much preferred the company of someone else in the room. Whether they ended up sitting in silence or talking to one another about anything and everything under the sun, it was always nice to simply feel a sense of familiarity and comfort in a foreign country, and they were lucky, simply because they found that in one another. 

Doyoung was Johnny’s roommate and after a quick game of scissors-paper-stone, Doyoung was allowed to use the bathroom first, something which he could not have been more grateful for. His legs were aching from all the walking and his eyelids were as heavy as lead, so all he planned to do was to take a 30-minute long warm shower, lie down to scroll through social media mindlessly and fall asleep just like that. Simple enough… right? 

What he did not know was that his boyfriend had other plans in mind. 

Like clockwork, Jaehyun came knocking on the door the moment Johnny turned on the shower, and although Doyoung dreaded taking 30 steps to the door, he did so anyway. 

“Hey babe.” Jaehyun greeted, arms immediately wrapping around Doyoung’s small waist, and with a gleeful smile on his face, which hinted that he definitely had something up his sleeve. 

“What do you want Jae?” Doyoung squinted, suspicious of his boyfriend’s intentions.

“Do you want to go for a lovely, romantic walk? Just the two of us.” 

“Are you serious? It’s already 11pm, and besides, we’re in a foreign country we know nothing about. This isn’t safe.” 

“Please???” Jaehyun whined, just like the puppy he was, and oh how Doyoung was a sucker for those adorable puppy eyes. 

“Fine, but if we get mobbed, kidnapped or worse, killed, I’ll blame it on you, even in the afterlife.” 

And with that, Jaehyun looked like the happiest lark there could ever be on earth. His eyes had become crescent moons and his smile clearly reached up to his eyes, accentuating his deep dimples. As much as he did not agree with Jaehyun sometimes, like now, it was hard not to give in. 

_ I swear Jae, you’d be the death of me one day. _

Doyoung decided to dress simple, matching his boyfriend’s casualness, and simply threw on his favourite striped shirt, a denim jacket and a pair of black slacks. To complete the look, all he needed was his dark rimmed glasses and his favourite pair of Nike Airs that he had got with Jaehyun a few months back. Before he left, he never forgot to leave Johnny a note though, and quickly scribbled a note on the notepad that was sitting atop the dressing table. 

“Ready?” Jaehyun asked, arms folded but opened, just so that Doyoung could hold onto his arm, something which he really liked. 

“Can I be honest and just say no? I’m putting my faith in you on this so please, I have no intention to die today.” Doyoung replied, knowing full well that he should probably link his arms with Jaehyun before the latter goes into the sad and dejected puppy mood. Jaehyun beamed once again and was practically walking with a skip in his steps. As much as Doyoung’s heart was threatening to burst out of his chest from the innate fear of the worst possible scenarios, he too felt that he could probably trust Jaehyun to take the reigns here. 

As soon as they had stepped out of the confines of the building, Doyoung took a deep breath of the fresh air and for some reason, his worry simply melted away, just like that. Where was the scared and worrisome Doyoung? Nobody knew, but with Jaehyun’s hand in his and the calm of the night, he knew they would be okay. 

They started walking with no particular direction in mind and the streets were still lit with a warm yellow colour from the street lamps (Doyoung thanked the heavens for that). Most would have probably thought they were crazy because everyone was packing up and closing for the night, but here they were, two foreigners who thought that walking around in the dead of night was a good idea. They based their walk on muscle memory and soon found themselves in the city center. Indeed, without the crowd that they had naturally attracted, it did look better by a hundredfold.

The two simply enjoyed the peace and tranquility that surrounded them and it truly felt surreal, simply because as idols, they do not usually get quiet time to themselves very often. However, the silence was soon broken by a voice, but not in a bad way. 

“Oh? Aren’t you part of the group of boys we had today?” A middle-aged man spoke behind them with heavily accented English. 

They turned around and were met with one of the horsemasters they had actually met this afternoon. If Doyoung’s memory had not failed him, he recognised the man as Mark and Haechan’s horsemaster. 

“Yes we are.” Jaehyun replied in English, while Doyoung simply nodded. He was glad he understood because if it were anything else, he might have just bolted out of there in fear of being mobbed. 

“What are you boys doing here then? It’s late now.” 

“Oh, we were just out here for a walk, nothing too much. We just wanted to see the city in a different light.” 

The man nodded in understanding with a warm smile etched upon his face and he was about to bid them goodnight, but turned around again and asked, “Would you like to come for one last ride for the day?”

Jaehyun and Doyoung looked at each other in surprise, and perhaps it was clear that the both of them were about to reject the offer, because the man laughed and spoke again in a reassuring tone, “Don’t worry, it’s free.” 

And so they found themselves sitting in the chariot again and even though Doyoung felt that he was about to be abducted, nothing really mattered as long as he had Jaehyun by his side. The other seemed relaxed, leaning back into the chair and with one arm behind Doyoung’s shoulder as he looked around and up into the night sky. 

“Lean back, babe. Nothing bad is going to happen so just relax and enjoy the ride.” 

And so the older did, wrapping his arms around Jaehyun’s torso for extra comfort, before he felt Jaehyun pressing his lips gently against his head. With that, he melted into Jaehyun’s body more and the latter responded with a stronger hold. Truth be told, Doyoung would much rather cuddle Jaehyun in the comforts of his bed, but as long as he had the latter by his side, it did not matter anymore. 

The ride went by in silence and all that was heard was the horse’s hooves coming into contact with the gravel as it walked and the wheels grinding against the wooden gear. Jaehyun looked down at Doyoung, who was still clinging onto him, and could not help but coo at Doyoung’s tired expression. As much as he wanted to call Doyoung a tired bunny, he did not really want to risk being kicked off the chariot, and as much as they wanted it to continue, the ride had to come to an end. 

“And here we are, back to our starting point.” The horsemaster informed, and got off the chariot first as he helped the other two boys down, “Where would you be heading to after this?”

At that, Jaehyun and Doyoung simply shrugged their shoulders. They could go back to the hotel and as much as their whole being was screaming for them to do so, they knew that they did not have much time for one another once they got back to reality and simply wanted to make this moment last for as long as it could.

“There’s a dessert shop not too far from here that sells the best churros in town and hot chocolate too. If you like the softer and creamier desserts, they too sell the famous Crema Catalana. All you need to do is to walk down the street and make a right turn at the first junction. Have a good night and I hope to see you around again!” 

And with that, the horsemaster made his move. As for the two boyfriends, they held hands once again and took a walk down to the dessert shop and to their surprise, it was indeed open, and till late too. Even when they should not be eating past 9pm in fear of a swollen face or a gastric reflux, they simply could not help themselves, and walked in, immediately ordering a basket of freshly made churros with two dips, a classic chocolate and a lemon cream, and two cups of steaming hot chocolate. The smell of the place instantly gave the two a sense of happiness and warmth and in Jaehyun’s opinion, it smelled just like christmas morning, with the scent of cinnamon sugar and milk chocolate. As for Doyoung, it simply reminded him of all the dates he had with Jaehyun during their SM Rookies era. They might not have been dating back then per se, but it was still a fond memory of theirs, simply because it was where it all started. 

When the food came, they immediately dug in, feeding each other while holding each other’s hands. Jaehyun always liked to make little circles in Doyoung’s hands with his thumb and for some reason, it always made the older’s heart swell. They had been dating for 3 long years and should have stepped out of their honeymoon phase by now (which they actually have), but these were some of the gestures that reminded them on how much they loved and adored one another. 

“Enjoyed yourself?” Jaehyun asked in a gentle and loving tone, lips curving into a small smile. 

“Of course I did,” and with that, Doyoung stood up and leaned over the table, giving Jaehyun a peck on the lips, “Thanks Jae.” 

Jaehyun was clearly taken aback and it only took milliseconds before he felt the warmth being emitted from his ears. Indeed, he could never hide his emotions very well, and as long as Doyoung saw that, he let out his signature laugh and showed off his gummy, boxy smile. 

“I don’t say this very much but you’re just too cute. As much as you want to prove that you’re a gentleman and all, you’re still cute, and that impression is not going to change.” Doyoung responded, albeit in a cheeky manner, and Jaehyun only shook his head at the teasing. 

They spent a long time in the cafe, although it only felt like mere minutes to them, and only took their leave 5 minutes before it was going to close. On instinct, Doyoung whipped out his phone from his pocket and let out a gasp, realising it was already 2am and they had to be up in a mere couple of hours. 

“I think it’s time we head back. We still have a performance tomorrow and I think the stylists are going to murder us if we show up with panda eyes.” 

Jaehyun chuckled at the comment, but proceeded to lament about the fact that he did not get the chance to stargaze with his boyfriend by the poolside, something which he had wanted to do for the longest time. Doyoung laughed too, but reassured Jaehyun that they will always have another time to do it, though he had to admit that it was easier said than done and his heart sank at the thought, knowing that these moments are few and far between. 

“Hyung…” Jaehyun spoke, serious this time, and it was clear he was feeling a little down, “Do you think we’ll be okay?” 

Oh no, Doyoung thought, he never liked dealing with this topic, but it was definitely something they needed to address time and time again to make themselves feel better. It was just a necessary process they needed to go through, especially when they were in a same sex relationship and from the same band too. They knew the fans had already speculated (some of them even knew) and had very kindly voiced their support but that did not mean they could confirm it in anyway. Their hands were simply bound and as much as they would like to profess their love in front of all their family members, friends and fans, the world was not just about the two of them. The group always came first, and they knew better than to do such a thing in a relatively conservative society as they looked at the grand scheme of things. 

It was sad really, because they could not help but feel as if they were lying to their fans, giving them false hope that they could somehow marry the man of their dreams. Throughout all the years of their career, they found themselves constantly mentioning about how they wanted to appear more genuine and relatable to their fanbase, but it was clear they were going against that promise now. Unfortunately, that is just the way the world works, and it was just a yoke they needed to carry if they wanted to make this relationship work. 

They were ready to do it, for as long as it may take, but there were days when questions and doubt flooded one’s mind, especially when it came to how much they needed to hide their affection for one another. The two had been doing it for as long as they had been dating and they should have gotten used to it by now, but occasional words of reassurance would not hurt one bit, and that was just what the two of them needed right now. 

“Of course we will, what do you mean?” 

“I mean, does it not sadden you? The fact that we cannot be as open with our affection with one another as much as we do for the other members? The fact that we have to keep wearing this mask that we are not associated with one another in any way other than being colleagues? How long do we have to keep doing this?” 

It broke Doyoung’s heart just hearing how Jaehyun seemed to be getting more doubtful as time went by. Deep down, he felt the same, but Doyoung ran on logic while Jaehyun ran on emotion, hence there were differences in terms of their reactions to such a situation. Doyoung was more calm, knowing that the band’s success was determined largely by their fans and they were still building their foundation, so he understood fully why they had to keep their relationship under heaps of wraps. Jaehyun was the opposite — he needed to force himself to accept it and see the bigger picture, but there were days when he simply just wanted to shower Doyoung with as much affection as he deserved. He couldn’t, and that was what ate so much of himself up inside. 

They stood in silence under the dim light of the street lamp for a bit, before Jaehyun belatedly realised what he said and spoke again in a slightly panicked manner, “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to kill the mood,” he grimaced, “Come on, let’s —”

And that was when Doyoung engulfed him in a hug, holding Jaehyun as tightly as possible, as if the latter was going to disappear any moment. Jaehyun was surprised, but he reciprocated the hug and buried his face into the space between Doyoung’s shoulder and neck. He took in a whiff of Doyoung’s cologne, which smelled a lot like lavender, and he felt his heart ease once again. Doyoung always had that effect on him — as much as he never failed to make Jaehyun’s heart flutter, the former was always there to calm him down when it came down to it, and this was an example. 

“Jae…” Doyoung spoke again.

“Hmm?” 

“I just want you to keep this in mind for me alright? Just hear me out.” 

“Always.” 

“I know this is hard for you, I really do, but I just want you to know that no matter what happens, I’ll always be by your side. I love you, there’s no doubt in my mind about that. As much as I want us to be like other couples, you know we can’t do that, but whatever happens, I’ll always be here, regardless of how much time it takes for us to simply be who we want to be. And besides, we have each other, some of our fans’ support, the members and most importantly, our family. We don’t really need much validation Jae, especially when we’ve gotten it from the people who really matter.”

And this was the reason why they worked. 

They balanced each other out, and in more ways than one. Jaehyun was able to break Doyoung out of his shell, getting him to try new things he would have never done on his own; Doyoung kept him grounded, ensuring that he was always discerning and to always think before he acts. Jaehyun was emotional, which helped Doyoung keep in touch with his emotions as well, which the latter had a hard time doing sometimes; Doyoung was logical, which allowed Jaehyun to see things from more than one perspective — something that was so important for the two of them. Jaehyun was child-like (Doyoung called him a kindergartener), and he brought out the child in Doyoung so that he did not have to be such a worrywart all the time; Doyoung was mature, always giving Jaehyun the necessary reassurance the latter needed when times went awry. Mere words could not demonstrate how much they complemented each other, but what was most important to the both of them was that they always worked. 

Always. 

Jaehyun loosened his grip on Doyoung and looked into the latter’s eyes and the way they sparkled under the light. He inched closer, and Doyoung, for once in his life, took the initiative and kissed his boyfriend while the world fell away. The kiss was slow and soft, and it provided way more comfort than words could ever bring. Jaehyun’s hands roamed again, running his fingers down Doyoung’s spine, finally pulling him closer until there was no more space between them. In fact, they were so close that they could almost feel their hearts beating as one, and with that, they knew that the other was the half that made themselves whole. 

They parted for air a few minutes later, and with one final peck by Jaehyun, he whipped out his phone and said in a playful tone, “Should we spoil our fans with some photos of each other?” 

And so they did. They knew they could not take selfies with the two of them in it without raising suspicion, and so they resorted to taking pictures of each other as they neared the hotel. Either way, the fans would definitely know who took the other and not only because they were fans with the eyes of a hawk, but both Jaehyun and Doyoung had very distinctive ways of taking pictures. The former liked to capture the beauty of his boyfriend, while the latter liked to capture both his boyfriend and the background behind him. They simply left it as that, making a mental note to post it during their break times the following day and before they left, they took one final selfie, in which Jaehyun had turned his head to kiss Doyoung’s cheek at the very last second. 

Both of them looked so happy in that photo, with Jaehyun smiling into the peck and Doyoung giving an accidental wink, and that was the moment when it was just them against the world. As long as they had each other, nothing else mattered. 

Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end and it was time for them to return to reality, for real this time. No more kisses unless they were sure all cameras were off, no more long hugs and no more of that casual hand holding. They were just close friends and colleagues now, nothing more, and as much as they dreaded it, they simply did not have any other choice — it was just the part and parcel of life they needed to accept.

Nevertheless, they made every second count on the way back to their rooms as they held each other’s hands. That was when they discovered something very interesting, and it was the fact that they were not the only ones on a date. There was Johnny and Taeyong right outside Johnny and Doyoung’s shared room, staring lovingly into each other’s eyes, as if they were dreading to say their goodbyes too. It took them long enough to finally have their own moment of kisses, until Doyoung and Jaehyun made their presence known. 

“Ah,” Johnny responded, standing up to his full height, “That’s where the two lovebirds went to.”

“Says the ones who are trying to suck each other’s faces off right outside the door of their rooms.” Doyoung retorted and Jaehyun could not help but to laugh at his boyfriend’s snarky remarks, “I hope you guys did nothing else in there.” 

Taeyong and Johnny looked at each other and laughed heartily, shaking their heads and reassuring Doyoung that they had just gotten back from their own date too. Thankfully, they had the evidence to back it up, given that Johnny was in a white t-shirt and black jeans, while Taeyong was dressed to the nines with a bomber jacket, a white t-shirt, a black pair of skinny jeans with embellishments and fancy boots. Taeyong only ever wore those kinds of things out and so did Johnny, so it was not that hard to believe their story. 

Not that Doyoung wanted to think of anything more. If he were to be completely honest, it was probably better if he did not find out. 

It was already 3am by the time they bidded each other goodbye and retreated back to their respective rooms and even if they were to be chided for having trouble waking up, they would not have traded it for the world. In fact, if they could do this 10 times over, they would do it in a heartbeat, with no hesitation and with no questions asked. 

Just when Doyoung was about to head off to Dreamland, he received a text message from Jaehyun and could not help but smile at what was written. 

“Thanks for spending time with me today bunny. I hope our managers and stylists don’t kill us tomorrow with our possibly swollen faces and dark circles, but just know that I would do it again if I could. Words cannot express how grateful I am for you and I’m so glad to have you by my side. Goodnight babe, I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you.” 

“Love you too Jae. Good night, and you’re welcome.” Doyoung responded, and as much as he wanted to type longer than a line, his mind was already running on lost sleep and so all he could come up with was a sentence that was short and hopefully, sweet. 

And with that, he was ready to finally settle down and sleep after a very long day. The lights were off, the room was pitch black and Johnny’s light snores could be heard just right next to him, making it extremely conducive for sleep to take over him. However, a final reassuring and positive thought crossed his mind just before that, and it was the fact that he was sure he and Jaehyun could well get past this hurdle in their lives. 

He was not bothered by the supposed amount of time they needed before they could officially come clean with the world or the amount of time it might take before fate decided that their time was up. To Doyoung, time was just a number, a social construct, nothing of substance really, because as long as they had each other at the end of the day, everything will be okay. 

**Author's Note:**

> For those who have made it up to this point, thank you for reading! It’s been a considerably long while since I wrote my last few stories but I hope this one was up to par and I intend to write a lot more this year so I hope to improve myself even more! I’ll check in with you guys in the comment section and as mentioned earlier, feel free to interact with me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bunbun_doyoung) or my [CCs](https://curiouscat.me/peanat_crumbles)! Don’t be shy, I don’t bite! ^^;; And to end off, I wish all of you have a pleasant one ahead and see you in my next work! ^^


End file.
